Rumors
by Whitewash
Summary: Post Adray's ending. NelxClair. While Fayt's lazing around Arias, Nel pays a long-overdue visit, Adray notices things, and Clair spews blatant lies...and they discuss philosophy, but that's not really important.


Nel was coming here because the Queen of Aquaria herself had instructed her to take a break. No, because Fayt was here, and she wanted to see how he was doing. Maybe both.

Not because she was worried about Clair—well, that wasn't quite true, she did care, it was just that... Just that what?

She didn't know. Regardless, there was sort of this aura of discomfort whenever they were around each other, a game of cat and mouse. It wasn't that they hated each other...but the problem was that it was the exact opposite.

* * *

With the war over and ended and the King of Airyglyph in generally good spirits, the nations were looking to rebuild after harsh days of endless attacks by impossibly powerful monsters; even though they didn't seem to be too difficult for Fayt and his friends to defeat, they were roaming all over the countryside anyway.

They avoided runology, too, it seemed—Arias was safe to rebuild as long as powerful runology spells warded them away. What a novel idea.

Anyway, this all meant that Clair had little to do in the ways of the military, so she was bored. There were no great battles going on, just the usual fighting against monsters of all sorts and strengthening ties with Airyglyph and, in Nel's case, preventing conspiracies from coming to fruition. That wasn't entirely the business of the Shield Legion, however; they really just provided extra support for those working as spies for Aquaria.

Clair sifted through reports and gave them heedless glances before adding them to the pile. They all said the same thing—we need more equipment, more supplies, more men, more money. She couldn't imagine being the King of Airyglyph or his new wife; they must have been in tatters by now. It wasn't as if Airyglyph was in that great of a condition before, after all. Now, it had just become worse.

Clair sighed. Whatever the case was, she didn't feel like she was helping, and both eagerly anticipated and loathed Nel's visit. Their meetings just made everything more difficult, but Fayt was here, wasn't he? That was her excuse. Or was it the other way around?

Either way, Clair was bored to tears, and these people weren't going anywhere without her explicit consent, so she pushed her embarrassment aside and went to talk to him.

"Fayt."

"Oh, Clair. Hello." He had been outside, tending to the gardens at the back. She had a feeling he would be doing something like that. It was stress relief for someone who had supposedly saved the world. No doubt the poor boy had a lot on his mind, and it wasn't as if her father would make things much better... Gardening was a nice thing to do. Safe. It was a safe topic, that's what it was. You could ask anyone about it.

"Did you hear the news? Nel's coming to pay a visit from Aquios. We received a letter the other day from her."

Fayt nodded. He looked a little excited. Cute... "I know. It hasn't been that long since I saw her, but now that most of our group has left us..."

"You mean Cliff and Maria and Sophia and Mirage...and Peppita?" Peppita, now where had she come from, anyway?

"Yeah. I don't know what to do anymore."

Clair smiled anxiously. "You're not the only one, you know..."

"But I mean, I just don't feel like going out anymore, knowing the world is so much bigger... It's intimidating, isn't it?" Fayt smiled at her ruefully, but Clair couldn't tell why.

"I think most people over here are just getting used to the fact that ships can come down from the sky," she said. "I doubt any of us are ready for anything else you might know. Nel... Well, it's a bit too late for her. I'm kind of worried, actually." She sounded cheerful as she said this. She worried out of habit. It seemed routine to her, like breathing.

"Nel takes it pretty well," said Fayt. "I mean, it's just so hard to read her, though. I don't think you can tell when she's upset and when she isn't. She's just that good at hiding it."

"Well, if you know her for long enough, you learn to catch the signs." Clair sighed. "Little things left over from her childhood...glances and gestures. But I guess you wouldn't know."

Fayt shrugged. "No, not really. I'm just worried for her, that's all. After all, we put her through so much. She insisted on tagging along, and I don't blame her, but..."

"But what?" asked Clair.

"But she knows more than you do, now," said Fayt. "More than you. More most people on this planet have a right to know. All because we came down from the sky, just like you said."

"So you're saying there's a world above the skies?" Clair asked, smiling.

"More than one," Fayt replied. "Many."

"I'm guessing you and all those other people who left came from one of those, then?"

"Yeah."

"Ah, I guess some people would say she's blessed then," said Clair, looking away and folding her hands behind her back. "She wanted to know the cause of this whole mess... I suppose she found it?"

Fayt nodded. "We all did."

"But it's a secret," said Clair, leaning forward and putting a finger to her mouth, "that you're not willing to tell, isn't it?"

"Well, it's not that," Fayt answered awkwardly, "it's just that...I don't think anyone would be able to take it very well."

"You're probably right."

They looked at each other and sighed.

"I want Nel to come," Clair finally admitted.

"She's coming, isn't she?"

"Yes, but she seems to be a bit late. She said she would be coming...yesterday."

"Oh... What do you think sidetracked her?"

Clair shrugged, defeated. "Anything and everything. She's completely devoted to her work; she'll do a job, carry out a task, even if she isn't charged with it, as long as it gets her somewhere. You know that attitude of hers? It never goes away. I don't think she can hold a conversation with a stranger without pulling out her blades and spewing threats once or twice."

Fayt grinned, amused and self-conscious. "Seriously?"

"Something like that," said Clair. "But the truth is, she doesn't have very strong people skills. That's why she likes to hide it under that ultra-patriotic demeanor."

"You're saying it's to hide her shyness?" Fayt asked, confused.

"No," Clair murmured, lowering her voice, "it's something else. To be completely honest, I'm not sure what it is, either. She keeps plenty enough to herself; I'd just like to leave it at that. But if I had to guess, I'd say that, especially right now, she's just as helpless and confused as you are."

"Helpless and confused," Fayt echoed, sheepish. "I thought you liked her."

Clair nodded readily. "I do. I like her a lot." She smiled, bright and earnest. "I like her so much that I'm finding it easier and easier to read her. When it comes down to it, you know," she looked down at the ground, "she's really not so complicated a person."

"You're gardening, huh?" Her father stomped in, and Clair hoped he wouldn't step on any defenseless plants. They didn't deserve that kind of treatment.

"Y-yeah?" said Fayt. It was safe to say he wasn't sure how to approach Adray after that marriage incident. Clair didn't need to be married, anyway; she had a job that paid more than well enough.

He grinned. "Good. You never know when those kinds of skills might come in handy. What're you growing?"

"Ehh... Seasonal stuff, I guess," Fayt mumbled names of plants under his breath.

"What was that? I can't hear you!" Adray boomed.

"Father, there's no need to shout. Fayt can hear you very well."

"Hmph..." her father exhaled. "Well! Whatever those plants are, I'd like to taste one of 'em once they're ready to be picked. You can help that runologist what's always on kitchen duty, what was 'er name again..." he mumbled as he walked away. Then he stopped and turned around. "Oh, right, an' Clair, Fayt, heard around town somewhere the Zelpher girl's here, Nevelle's daughter."

"You mean Nel?" Fayt asked.

"Yeah, yeah, her. The one who was with us when we went through that Firewall an' all, Crimson Blade-in-training."

"Oh, good. That's good," said Clair. "Good timing, too. I don't have a lot to do today."

* * *

Tea at the Lord's Mansion in Arias was a typical, ritual thing, but it was important to offer some to guests whenever they came by, regardless of their affiliation. Fayt mentioned there were customs like that in his world, too, and all of a sudden Nel got uncomfortable. So they tried to switch to another topic.

They ended up talking about her.

"So you finally took a break," said Clair. She was awestruck, but relieved. "I thought you'd never, quite honestly. It's been a while since you've paid a visit, ever since the incident with those celestial ships."

Nel didn't look all to happy about it, either. "They made me," she said. "They wouldn't let me work anymore if I didn't take a break."

Clair smiled impishly. "Oh, come now. You might've died of exhaustion if you didn't."

"I can't settle down," she mumbled. "I'll die of anxiety long before that."

Fayt turned to Nel. "So, nothing's changed around Aquios, right?"

"Mm," said Clair, "I should pay a visit there sometime; it's felt like ages since you're the one who's been doing all the traveling lately."

Nel shook her head. "No, not really. Everything's stayed mostly the same. The world hasn't changed at all."

"Yeah," Fayt said quietly.

"You're talking about something I wouldn't understand again, aren't you?" said Clair. "I don't understand why you're always so anxious. Why can't you calm down?"

Fayt and Nel looked at her with withering expressions, but Clair was hardly perturbed.

She sighed. "Well, even if you told me the world was one big joke, I wouldn't really care. It's how we view it that matters, after all. If nothing seems to have changed, then it hasn't. Sad but true, no?"

"I guess so," mumbled Fayt.

"I'm kind of tired of philosophy, actually."

"But it's upsetting you, isn't it?" asked Clair.

"Hm?" Nel looked at her.

"You weren't like this before Fayt and his friends came to Elicoor," said Clair. "Your experiences with them did something to you, and you're obviously not very happy about it."

"That's true," she said, "but it doesn't change anything."

"Doesn't change what?"

"Well, there's a reason why I'm not happy about it," said Nel, "and you say you don't care anyway, so there's no point in trying to explain it."

Clair sighed. "Don't tell me the world is actually one big joke."

"But you wouldn't believe us, would you?" asked Fayt.

"This is getting a little ridiculous," said Clair. "Regardless of what it is, keeping everyone in the dark while a handful possess the knowledge is fundamentally the same thing as nobody knowing at all."

"What?"

"The world hasn't changed," she said. "You can still see me, can't you? I can still talk to you. If I stayed holed up in a bedroom upstairs my whole life, I wouldn't know of anything. They wouldn't exist to me. Or am I wrong?"

"I guess that's true," mumbled Fayt. "But if you already have the knowledge... Well, you can't just forget about it."

"I have to say," added Clair, "not to mention you've been working so hard lately, that may be the reason why they forced you to take a rest. If you're not completely focused, that wouldn't be very good for us."

"That's right..." said Nel, "as much as I hate to admit it. But without anything to do..."

"You two need to get away somewhere," said Clair cheerfully. "Somewhere where you can forget about your worries and just have some fun."

"Well, that doesn't..."

"No, it doesn't solve anything," she said, "but at least you're not getting stressed out."

Fayt and Nel looked at each other.

"Mmn..."

The door slammed open, revealing a huge man and his tanned, bare chest.

"Oh, hello...Sir Adray."

"Ah, Nevelle's daughter!" he said. "How have you been doing these days?"

"Not very well, I have to admit...but I am holding up."

"That's good to hear."

"So why isn't my father affected by all of this philosophy business?" Clair whispered. "Did it just pass right through him?"

Fayt shrugged. "Maybe."

"Ehh, I always see Nevelle in you. Got the same eyes," Adray grunted. "Got the same blades now, too. Heard you returned 'em to the Queen, though."

"I wished to preserve them in his memory."

"Pfeh, he wouldn't have done somethin' as pointless and sentimental as that," said Adray. "He would've told you to use 'em! It's tough to synthesize materials like that to weaponry. 'S a waste."

"Oh, Father," Clair said with a terrible smile, "I should mention that we were just talking about setting these two up on a rendezvous."

"Rendezvous?"

Adray's raucous laughter filled the room. "A date, huh? Trying to play matchmaker now, are you, Clair?"

"_Date_?"

Nel, confused, turned to Fayt. "What are they talking about?"

Fayt groaned. "Adray thought that we were in a relationship."

"Oh..."

"I thought I told him that wasn't true, but...looks like Clair caught on."

"But why Clair?"

"Huh?"

Nel blinked. "No, it's..." she shook her head. "Never mind."

"Yeah..."

Adray grinned at the two. "What're you two whisperin' about now?"

"I'm sorry if there has been some kind of misunderstanding," Nel said awkwardly, "but it's just as Fayt told you: we're not in a relationship."

"Oh, I know that," said Clair. "But you should really think about going somewhere sometime. How about Surferio? Nothing goes wrong over there..."

"I'd rather not," Fayt groaned.

"It's that mentality that stops you from being productive," Clair replied matter-of-factly. "Why not?"

"Because I..." Fayt sighed. "Do I really have to be paired up with her?"

"What?" Clair asked. "You don't like her?"

"You know how I feel about her," he said. "Seriously, stop it..."

Nel stared at the two in disbelief. "How did it come to this...?"

"Nn, I knew somethin' was off with ya when you came in, though," Adray told her. "Haven't been feeling so good, have you?"

"It'll go away, eventually..."

"You mean, like until your next job?"

"Maybe..." Nel looked at him in interest. "Why?"

"Sounds just like your father."

"Really..."

"I haven't seen you leave this place since we first met!" Fayt retorted. "Why don't you go off somewhere with her?"

"That's a lovely idea, actually," Clair said dreamily. "But..."

"But what?"

"But it's not right."

Nel and Adray turned to her, silent. It wasn't something particularly Clair-like to say.

"As much as I'd love to, it's really not something I can do."

"Well...why not?"

"Technically I could but," Clair giggled, "it sound scandalous, doesn't it?"

"Scandalous?"

"If people saw us together in some nice place away from it all, people might think we're together, that's all. And, you know, being collectively referred to as the Queen-wielded Crimson Blade, it would be quite unusual to see us together without having any real business there."

Fayt scratched his head. "Say that again?"

Clair sighed and shook her head. Nel looked uncomfortable again.

"Fayt... They might think we're lovers. You know how simple-minded people are."

"Oh," said Fayt. "Oh."

Add that to the "Crimson Blade" thing, and it was a social disaster just waiting to happen.

Fayt shifted in his seat. "Why did it get all quiet?"

"Oh, forget about it," Clair muttered, waving her hand to dismiss the topic. "I'm much better off than you two are, anyway. At least I don't have to question the substance of the world to myself everyday."

"So you weren't really planning on shipping 'em off somewhere, then?" asked Adray.

"Only if they want to," Clair said ruefully. "If they don't, then I can't really make them. Not unless I were the Queen, anyway."

"'The Queen', she says," Nel mumbled.

"Well, of course. The Queen can make you do anything."

"I'd think twice before following an order so trivial."

"Oh, please. If she told you to scrub her shoes while she walked, you know you would do it."

Fayt shook his head. "What a pointless conversation..."

"I don't think so, really," said Adray. "They haven't talked to each other in a long time, see? The conversation's healthy for 'em."

"Mm?" Fayt watched them. "I guess so."

* * *

It was after dinner. As previously suspected, Nel was so exhausted she went straight to sleep. Everyone else, however, was wide awake, and in particular, Fayt had a question that was bothering him to break to Clair.

"Um, Clair?"

"What is it, Fayt?"

He scrunched his eyebrows, looking for the right words. "Are same-sex relationships...common around here?"

Clair blinked at him, frowning subtly. "Quite frankly, no. I can't imagine that being so in anyplace, really. Why?"

"Uh..."

"Were you thinking about the conversation this afternoon?" she prodded.

"Something like that..." he mumbled. "It was just kind of awkward when everything got quiet. Is it really that big of a deal?"

"Well..." Clair said carefully, "it shouldn't be...but it is."

"Why?"

"Why?" Clair repeated. "Why? Because you're right."

Fayt blinked. "I'm right? About what?"

"I'm supposing you popped the question because you had some suspicions. And you're right about those suspicions."

"Then you two are really..."

"No. I mean what I say. We're not."

"Then how...?"

"It's never been something that's really been discussed between anyone of us."

"I could see why."

They were quiet for a moment.

"I don't think she wants to take the matter any further than it is," said Clair. "She would rather leave it alone, I think. That's the kind of person she is."

"But...then you're just left hanging," said Fayt. "How would that make you feel?"

"Not very good, either. But I can't do anything about it. We might be stuck in a rut, sure, but at least it hasn't blown up into some sort of mass hysteria. You must know how quickly rumors travel."

"There's not way to resolve it, though?" Fayt asked.

"Oh, you think you have a solution?" she said, abruptly bitter.

Fayt shook his head. "No, no, it's just that... Well..." He paused. "Well, I don't see how you can just leave it alone like that. You should at least talk about it."

Clair sighed. "You don't know her very well, do you...?"

"Why?" Fayt asked. "What happened?"

"No... Nothing," she said. "Nothing at all."

"Then why do you keep on avoiding her?"

"She's..." Clair hesitated, "not the kind of person you'd want to talk to about those things. It's hard to get to her say what she honestly means. I mean...sometimes she doesn't say anything at all."

"Well... Should I talk to her about it, then?"

Clair laughed. "Oh, no. That would just make things worse, especially if she found out I talked to you about it. But you seem like a very caring person. You worry about her just as much as I do, don't you?"

"Ah..." Fayt blushed. "I guess... Maybe."

"So what are you going to do, then?" he started again. "It's the perfect time to end this, isn't it?"

"I doubt she'll be around for much longer, true. Somehow she'll coerce the Queen to give her more to do; she's the most successful agent the kingdom has." Clair shrugged. "I can talk to her, but I have no idea how she'd respond. Like I said, she's not very good with these sorts of things...and I have a feeling it's quite a sore spot for her."

* * *

Unfortunately, the next day, Clair wasn't available until the evening. As such, she sent Fayt to entertain their guest instead.

With his newfound knowledge, it was very awkward.

"Uh..."

"Fayt? Why are you staring at me like that?" Nel looked down at herself. "Did I spill something?"

Fayt shook his head. "No, no. It's...it's nothing like that."

Nel frowned. "Then what is it?"

"It's..." Fayt rubbed the back of his head. "Um, you know that rendezvous thing we were talking about yesterday?"

Nel looked unamused. "What about it?" she said sharply.

Fayt flapped his hand at her and massaged his temples. "Never mind... Clair was right, you are—"

"What did Clair say?" Nel asked.

Fayt suddenly felt very tense. "Uh..."

"Fayt..." Nel frowned. "It was something about me, wasn't it?"

"Y-yeah."

"You see, she and her father aren't so different, after all."

Fayt blinked. That was right... Huh.

"I won't ask, then," said Nel. "If it's about me, and she talked to you about it, it probably wasn't any of your business, anyway."

"Um. Sure."

Nel glared at him. "What's with that attitude?"

"Nothing! It's...nothing. Just..." He sighed. "Just thinking."

"There are plenty of circumstances surrounding my life you probably wouldn't want to get involved in," Nel muttered. "Just...try to forget about it."

"Yeah. Right..."

"But I have to admit, I am enjoying this break. It's been so long since I could talk to anyone around here about matters other than the war, or politics. Those kinds of things. I don't really enjoy them, but I'm surrounded by them, so..." Nel frowned when she noticed Fayt's expression. "What are you thinking about now?"

Fayt's shoulders sagged. "I'd tell you what Clair told me, but I kind of regret asking her about it."

"Oh, so you were the one who asked."

"Yeah... I'm sorry," he mumbled. "But she said she'd tell you once she got the chance to talk to you, so I'm not worried about it."

Nel gave him a sideways glance, a kind of "what went on between you two?" look. "I'm not worried that you know, actually... You seem to be comfortable talking to Clair, so you must know what she's like."

"Yeah..."

Nel was quiet. "But, you know..."

"What is it?"

"Even as long as we've known each other...I don't believe she understands me very well."

"Huh?"

Nel looked at him. "She worries too much."

"...What? About what?"

"I mean," Nel said, "she tends to over-think things. That's what makes her such a good commander. She's very, very scrupulous. Nothing gets by her."

"Then..." Fayt blinked, "what's the problem?"

"The problem is that she assumes too much about other people," Nel replied distantly, "and blames all their troubles on herself, even if it's not her fault."

"Oh..." Fayt nodded in understanding. "I see now."

"You were talking about me, weren't you?" Nel frowned at him again.

"Didn't I already say that?" Fayt opened his mouth to say something else, and then shut up. "I better leave before I say anything else. Be nice to her, will you?"

"You're telling me that..." Perplexed, Nel watched him as he went out.

* * *

Clair had put all her effort into finishing work that day, and also drew it out as long as possible. The thought of speaking to Nel about it unnerved her; everything was all out of place. In fact, speaking to Nel in general never made her feel very well, but this was different. This was worse. This was talking to Nel about Nel, and not just that, but herself, too. Them, for lack of a better term, and anything apart from working together as the double-edged Crimson Blade was...well, it was generally not mentioned. A fair few people knew that they knew each other quite well, as friends, even, but the Secret Legion was so...well, secretive, not much got out. So if anything happened...

She reached for the doorknob, and was surprised when the door opened itself.

Of course, Nel had to be on the other side.

She came first.

"Oh..."

"Fayt said you had something to say to me?" she said, an eyebrow raised.

Clair felt very, very uncomfortable. "Yes. Do you have any idea what it might be?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"Well, stay a while," Clair said, taking a step back.

Nel shut the door behind her.

"Well, out with it. What's wrong?"

"It's—"

"It's 'that rendezvous thing'?" Nel asked.

Clair blinked. "Um...that is... That's correct. Did Fayt tell you?"

Nel was searching for the right words. "Something like that."

"I see. And you aren't disappointed?"

"Why should I be disappointed? I've known about it. What did you want to talk about?"

"I just...didn't want there to be any rumors."

"Any rumors?" Nel asked. "There aren't any rumors...none that I know of, anyway."

"But we've never really talked about it before," Clair murmured. "We've never had a chance to really discuss it."

"But what is there to discuss?" Nel asked, drawing up to her.

"I don't know anymore." Clair shook her head.

"That's not an answer."

"Nel, you know we're not allowed to be together, but..."

Nel put a hand on her cheek and kissed her, softly. Clair didn't pull away, but she didn't respond, either. She was looking somewhere else.

"I don't care."

"That's the problem," Clair whispered. "You don't know how to stop yourself."

"Is that what you've been worried about, then...?" Nel asked, her voice low. "That we haven't been seeing each other enough?"

"No, it's not... No, forget about it," Clair turned her head away.

Nel turned it back. "No. Talk. What's been bothering you? What's wrong? Why won't you tell me?"

"Because I don't know anymore," Clair answered. "I don't know what I was supposed to say anymore."

Nel narrowed her eyes. "I don't understand why you're so reluctant to tell me. Why can't you spit it out?"

"Well... It's not that we haven't been seeing each other enough, and that's true, but when we do..."

"'When we do'?"

"When we do I'm not sure how to act around you," Clair said. "I don't really understand you. What do you want out of me?"

Nel looked down, somewhere. "I want you to care about me. That's all." She looked up. "Why?"

"Because... The rumors..."

"There are no rumors."

"But what if there were?"

"'What if'? I thought you didn't like hypothetical situations. Nothing has changed, has it?" said Nel, echoing Clair's own words. "Why should you be bothering yourself with 'what if's?"

"You know we can't be together," Clair said again. "So why do you keep pushing it?"

"I do it out of love." Typical. She had never understood where Nel's bravado had come from, or even when it all started.

"But you can't. You're not allowed to. Why is it that when it comes to the Queen's orders, you follow all of them but one?"

Nel frowned. "Because I like you. Why should she have to decide something as pointless to her as that?"

"Because it isn't pointless to her; it's worrisome, and it's cumbersome."

Nel kissed her on the neck, near the collarbone, and Clair tensed up, helpless and reluctant all the same.

"What I can't understand is why you're so afraid of it," Nel muttered into her neck. "Why must you worry? Why should anyone care about it? It's none of their business."

"Nel, please..."

She ignored her and went kissing up the side of her neck, along her jawline.

"You're worrying too much again. You always worry too much. How many times do I have to tell you we'll be fine?"

Clair clutched her shoulders. "But we don't even see each other that often. Even though we work together, we hardly see each other. And you're always out trying to get killed."

"I am not."

"So I don't really think you have a good reason to be doing this."

"Doing what?"

Clair kissed her, a peck on the mouth. "That."

"And...why not?"

"Because it feels too good. It makes me worry. It makes me miss you."

"What's wrong with that?"

"I can't keep my mind on my work if I'm always thinking about you. It's distracting."

"Distracting..." Nel repeated. "Well, you can do that if you want. But I'll still be able to fight even if I'm thinking of you. I'm thinking about how I'm protecting you by doing all of this. It's a good feeling. It helps me."

"Are you saying I should feel the same way?"

"I didn't say anything."

"I don't like admitting it, though," Clair said quietly.

"Admitting what?"

"Admitting that we're in a relationship, what else?" said Clair.

"Well, then, don't."

"I haven't been. But it doesn't feel good to lie."

"Don't you lie all the time?"

"I never said it made me feel any better."

Nel sighed. "So you've just been worrying about nothing again, is that it?"

"You would be, too, if you had my job."

"Well..." Nel looked away and then back at her. "Do you think you could help yourself from worrying anytime soon?"

"Maybe," she said. "But probably not. You're always getting into trouble." She smiled, a little painfully. "You need someone to keep on worrying about you, to remind you you have to stay alive, come home."

"I have Fayt to do that."

"Yes, but Fayt isn't me."

"No." Nel's eyes flashed wickedly. "Not at all. If you were Fayt, in fact, I wouldn't be able to do this..."

* * *

"Hey," said Fayt. "You're looking better."

"I am, aren't I?" said Nel.

"Did you talk to Clair...? You did."

"Yes, I did."

"No wonder you look so happy. I guess things between you are solved, then?"

"Solved as they'll get, I suppose."

Fayt sighed, resigned. "I'll never understand what's going on between you two."

"Oh...but Clair didn't tell you?"

"Not really." Fayt shrugged. "Sort of. But if you're feeling better, that's all that matters."

"Yeah... Say, Fayt."

"Hmm?"

"Maybe Clair was right."

"Right about what?"

"What do you say we go to Airyglyph?"

"_What_?" Fayt asked, nonplussed. "Why Airyglyph?"

"I want to see how Albel's doing."

Fayt shook his head. "She really must have done something to you," he muttered, "wanting to see Albel all of a sudden..."

"I want to see if he's changed."

"Oh, good luck with that..."

* * *

**A/N:** I wrote this a year and a half ago, and it's still as delicious to read as ever. I typically don't write stories where people lie to each other, so finding this dusty thing was a welcome change from the norm. Also, Clair doesn't get nearly enough love in this fandom. Write more about her, you guys.


End file.
